The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-17
THE DISADVANTAGES OF CoWARDIoE.

chairman CooDer, oil the RepuoIcan Otate
committee of Pennsylvania, a shrewd and
observant politician, says of the result OF MS
canvass:
1.-THE Republican majority in the State is altogether
gratifying and if the State committee had plainly
accepted the challenge thrown down by the Liquor
and Personal Liberty Leagues, we would nave been
beaten; and ie the same challenge had been accepted
in New York, would have won that State
1--WE ask the special attention of Republic
ans to this statement because believe it
TO be the exact truth. We are more moved
to do so, because a certain class of Republic
an politicians now going about saying
that it was the Republican temperance legls-
lation of last winter which cost us the State
We believe, on the contrary, that If the Re
publican canvass had been steadily maintained
on the high plane of the temperance ieg1sla-
ton, we should have been congratulatlng
each other now upon a decided victory. But
the idea seemed to prevail among some OF the
politicians that if the liquor interest were not
too severely handled during the canvass the
saloon-keepers and brewers and dis
tillers would forget the hard blow
that had been struck at them in the
public interest. and, with that gentle and Tor
giving spirit which is CHARACTERISTIC OF the
class. some of them would vote the Republic
an ticket. AS a result, while no one disowned
the Republican record on this question, and
much was said in its favor, there was lack
of unity and heartiness in the canvass on this
point. There was no such presentation OF 1t
as to arouse the order loving people to the fact
that an army of liquor-dealers was moving to
capture the Legislature And while many
voter whose natural place was with the he
publicans on such an issue, remained ind1tter-
emit because it had not been made sharp
enough, or was displeased because there was
an appearance Of lukewarmness in the cam
paign the liquor-dealers, who know who their
friends are, were raising money by the barrel
full to carry the State for the Democrats.
The result was that the Republican party was
drained of votes at both ends. and yet the
Democrats, even then, managed to get
plurality probably little larger, II any, than
that of two years ago"
s. We reprint from the New York Tribune
this extract for the benefit of whomsoever it
may concern, calling attention to the almost
exact parallel it runs with the experience of
the Republican party in Indiana. No one will
ever forget the miserable, cowardly, evasive
carrving-water- on both shoulders campaign Of
1882, with its shameful and disastrous result
During that campaign we had the spectacle of
candidates upon the Republican ticket openly
apologizing for, and some openly opposing,
the position assumed by the party. and the
ticket deservedly went down to defeat, and
the towards and traitors to dishonor. Had the
lines of that campaign been sharply drawn and
aggressively dressed on the basis OF
the platform the result would have
been different, and it would not have required
another defeat, in 1884. to compel the party
to take an honorable and unf1nching stand
as in 1886, by means of which great and
unexpected victory was achieved. Let nobody
%tar 10 no
backward for the Republican party on the
question of temperance legislation, but the
result of the last contest in Indiana, as in
Ohio. and in New York as we'll, has demon
strated, in the language of the New York
Times in commenting upon the Republican
defeat in that State, that 'there is no use in
fooing with the liquor question. Measures
and declarations intended simply to catch
votes from the Prohibitionists and the liquor
men alike will not serve that purpose and will
not satisfy the people. Sc long as no sincere
and effective action is taken the Prohibition
lists will stick to their party and gain recruits,
and the liquor men will prefer to take their
chances with the Democrats in any case.
consistent policy, and sincerity and courage
in supporting it. High icense-or
a high tax. if they prefer the term--with local
option, is their best hold, but the minimum
limit of the tax or license fee should be uni
form throughout the State. and the revenue
should go into the local treasures. Nothing
has been gained by paltering with the subject,
and nothing can be gained by it." A definite,
consistent, a practical policy, adhered to
without fear or favor, allowing all classes of
cranks, and dreamers, and specialists to go
their own way, appealing to the common
sense and common purpose of the vast body of
conservative intelligent people. will win in
the future, as it has in the past wherever such
policy has been seriously and honestly tried
The world is full of compensations. For
years the WORKOUT English stage people have
| been coming over here and milking the Amer